A promise of romance
by ArkenjalUru
Summary: A contract marriage? Naruto has gone to England to study acting, but it's all he can do to pay his living expenses. Just then, the handsome Count Sasuke offers him money in exchange for entering a fake marriage! crossing dressing Naruto pairing sasunaru...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys this my new naruto fanfic hopely you like...**

 **Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: SasuNaru**

The faint odor of alcohol reached the butler's nose as soon he entered his master's chamber. He frowned.

The curtains were pulled shut, and the flames flickering in the fireplace served as the room's only illumination, despite the bringht morning sun shining outside.

The faint firelight fell upon the master's canopied bed, which was empty. The butler noticed a figure lying on the couch that was set before the fire.

A bottle of brandy lay at its feet.

"Master Sasuke, have you been drinking again?" the butler asked the man sprawled out on the couch. "If you keep up these habits, it will simply be a matter of time before you descend into true alcoholism."

"I didn't call you in here to lecture me, old man."

A young man sat up on the couch and lazily ran his fingers through the raven hair tousled on his forehead.

This was Sasuke Uchiha, the young master of the estate.

The butler ignored his protest and drew open the curtians. Morning light flooded the room.

A huge garden spead out beyond the window, grand enough to require the hard work of 30 groundskeepers to maintian it. It was the middle of winter now and the landscape was brutally punctuated by evergreens. But while a profusion of flowers covered it in the spring, the garden was remarkably beautiful and remained so all the way through autumn.

Sasuke had sloppily wrapped a dressing gown over his pajamas. The red showing through the corners of his eyes proved that he was still drunk. The line of his jaw was perfect and his nose stright, his thin eyebrows arched intelligntly over his onyx eyes, clear as a sparkling summer lake. The word "noble" seemed to exist only so that it could describe him.

The young master turned to gaze meaningfully at the side table, frowning. The butler found himself following his master's eyes. An opened envelope lay atop the table.

"Bring me that letter," Sasuke ordered.

"You can do that much yourself, sir," the butler retorted, flatly refusing the order. Despite his servant's status, he was pround to have served Sasuke in the role of a parent for many years. He would not serve his master blindly.

Sasuke smirked at the butler's response.

"I suppose you think I'm taking advantage of you," he said.

"It's the alcohol that's making you demand such ridiculous things," the butler shot back.

Sasuke shrugged and reached toward the table. He took s photograph from the envelope and held it up for the butler to see. It was a picture of a young woman.

"Do you know who this is, old man?" he demanded.

Trying not reveal the shock he felt, the butler replied as calmly as he could, "She's quite an attractive young lady. Does she come from a good family?"

Sasuke opened the letter. "It's from a friend," he said conversationally. "He wrote something very interesting here, I think you should hear it,"

And he began to read:

 _"Dear Sasuke,_

 _I'm writing to you to confirm some gossip I've heard in certian circles. The name of the person you see in the enclosed photograph is Lady Sakura, the daughter of Earl Haruno. She's now 19 years old,"_

"I'm afraid I don't see what's so interesting_,"the butler began.

"It's this next part," Sasuke interruped, continuing his reading. "She's to be engaged to Lord Uchiha in May of this year. Everyone is talking about how there will be an extravagant wedding ceremony and the two will become society's leading couple within the year. There are only about 200 people in England with the title of lord, so when I heard the name Uchiha, I though of you Sasuke, I would like very much to get the derails from you,"

It was currently February, three months before the supposed engagement.

"You're just being difficult, Master Sasuke. Didn't you know all about it?" the butler out.

He must have throught it best to keep the matter a secret until now.

"I just found out!" Sasuke yelled back. "Now I'm completely sober again. and I don't remember argreeing to any such thing, I assure you,"

In a naked display of anger, he tore the letter up and hurled it into the fire. The flames burned it to ash in seconds.

"That may well be, you never recall any of the thing we discuss." the butler said dryly.

Sasuke was speechless at the butler's easy admission of his involvelment in the plot.

The butler continued. "I didn't expect you to accept the idea quietly simply because we had discussed it, so I kept it hidden from you."

"Well I'm sorry I spoiled your plan," Sasuke said sarcastically. "Thankfully, I have friends who keep me informed."

The image of a man with long raven-hair floated into the butler's mind. The man showed up from time to time at the manor, a friend od bad influence from Sasuke's school days. His name was Hyuuga Neji, a reporter for a third-rate newspaper.

"But aren't you forgetting something important, Master Sasuke? According to your father's will, if you are not married by your 26th birthday, the entire estate, includeing the fortune, well be transferred to your cousin. Master Tobi,"

Sasuke's parent had died in an automobile accident when he was 20, and he had inherited the title of Lord from his father. Like the former British Empire which had rule the world, the English aristocracy in the 20th century had nearly collapsed, surrendering its territories abroad to property and estate taxes. But during that time, generations of Uchiha had invested thier vast estates, founded a company, and steadily increased thier fortunes. After his parent's death, his father's will left the compay in the hands of relatives, an indication of the old man's unseasiness over Sasuke's was also the provision that if Sasuke didn't marry by the time he was 26, the entire fortune would be transferred to his cousin.

"I don't have any interest in managing the compay," Sasuke said stubbornly. "Everyone's done exactly what they've wanted to do up till now, so why should the future be any different?"

"Are you sure about what you're saying?" the butler asked incredulously. "Master Sasuke, all the time you've been throwing your money around, have you ever earned any yourself? You could never live as a poor man."

"Tobi is a good man, he would support me," Sasuke insisted.

"What are you saying?" the butler asked. "Is that what you want? Your father drove himself mad over you. His will is his last message to you, telling you to start taking on the responsibilities of a nobleman_"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, old man, but..."

Sasuke held out his right hand in front of the butler, the whiter and elegant hand of a born aristocrat. On the middle finger rested a ring that cradled a clear blue stone. It was family heirloom, a blue diamond passed down from generation to genaration. He calmly pulled the ring off and tossed it to the old man.

Desperate to keep it from hitting the floor, the butler caught the ring and then went pale. "This...this is a forgery!" he gasped. "What's happened to the real one? Please tell me you haven't lost it!"

"I gave it to some woman two years ago," Sasuke said, almost negligently.

"I trust you know what that means," the butler choked.

"Yeah, just one of this framily's stupid traditions," Sasuke answered, bored. "When the ring that's been handed down for generation is given away, it signals my imminent engagement."

"Who did you give it to?" the butler inquired.

"A young woman living in the bad part of London," Sasuke announced.

He might have simply given it to a girl selling flowers in the street. It was not beyond him.

he old man became despondent. But this was no time to give up.

"It's just as you say, Master Sasuke," he said. "No one would blame you for putting an end to a tradition that's past its time. So you can still marry the Lady Sasukura,"

Sasuke sneered and turned away.

"Master Sasuke!"

The young master sighed. "Relax, old man. I'll get married, just as my fsther wanted. But i'm not marrying some aristocrat's daughter whose only interest is philanthropy. I'll chose my partner myself."

"Master Sasuke, that will never do," the butler remarked.

"Why not?" Sasuke demanded.

"The girl's family has already accepted the offer," the butler confessed.

"We'll pretend we didn't hear back," Sasuke grow;ed.

"Master Ssasuke!"

Looking tired, Sasuke again held up a hand to cut the old man off. He turned his onyx eyes away and did not look at the butler again.

Unwilling to sully the master's mood any futher, the butler remained silent.

"Anyway, prepare my thing for an immediate departure," Sasuke finally said.

ere will you be going, sir?" the butler inquired.

Sasuke smiled cheerfully, "London. I'm going to find my fiancee,"

 **to be continue,... hopely you like it tell next time... please review...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi I'm back with my new chapter of the promise of romance hopefully you like it...**

 **Descliamer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: Sasunaru**

A year and half had passed in the blink of an eyes since Naruto Uzumaki had come to London.

He had spent the first year in English language courses, but now he was pursuing his true purpose, studtying at an acting school. He could now easily handle daily conversations, but when people began running off at the mouth and speaking quickly, the language still escaped him.

Naruto had been active in the drama club the whole time he was in high school, and dreamed of going to a famous acting school after graduating with his best friend, Kiba Inuzuka.

He and Kiba had met in high school. The class seating arrangement had put iba in front of Naruto. He had been the one to teach Kiba everything the other boy knew about theater. It was only because of Naruto that Kiba became interested in the subject. But despite that, Kiba had applied himself and had gotten ahead of Naruto.

Naruto had though he was better than Kiba at everything better at school, better at acting, everything. But only Kiba had been accepted to thier dream school.

"I can't believe I got accept!"Kiba had announced gleefully.

Naruto would never forget the look on Kiba's face, the way his eyes had shone when he came over to tell Naruto the good news at school.

"I wasn't sure I'd make it," Kiba had gushed. "You were a shoo-in . Here's to another four years together!"

The possibility that Naruto might not have gotten in hadn't seem to ever enter his mind.

"Well, I messed up," Naruto had owned up. He had rallied all the muscles in his face, trying to muster a cheerful smile, but it failed miserably.

Kiba had looked utterly dumbfounded.

"What?"

"I didn't get in," Naruto had clarified.

Even acting had its limits. Throug he had tried to pull his face into the perfect smile, a single tear had escaped and run down his whiskered cheek.

Kiba had looked perplexed for a moment, then laughed, perhaps thinking that Naruto was joking with him.

It was humilitiating.

"Is it that funny that I didn't get in?" Naruto had shouted at Kiba before storming out of the room.

Even he had throught it was a childish way to act. Whenever he remembered that day, Naruto's face would go crimson with shame.

Talent determines an actor's place in the theater world. Naruto understood that. He'd throught he he'd done well on the entrance exams. But the fact that he had failed the practical section devastated him. The number of people who can suppport themselves by acting is so small, it's almost nonexistent, even for those who graduate from special training schools. Naruto hadn't felt arrogant assuming that he was one of those chosen few. His unrivalled love for theater had given him a sense of confidence. But there's certian spark to good acting that had been lacking in him, and he hadn't been accepted by the best school. And that dark time, he'd throught he would never be a professional, either.

Naruto had eneded up graduating without ever speaking to Kiba again. He'd also gone to his fall back school. Of course, he'd enrolled in the theater department. But it was nothing like the school he had wanted to go to, which had a reputation of turning out huge numbers of professional actors. All the other students in his new school had applied to that same school, and all had failed to get in. All the classes and everyone in them had an air of failure. Then there had been the students who were genueinely satisfied with thier lot and had never hoped for anything better. Naruto couldn't stand them, either still, he hadn't felt like taking the exams over again. His pride wouldn't allow Kiba to be his senior.

But Naruto had never been happy with his life at the college he never wanted to attend. Then one day, he'd discovered a book. It was a collection of essays by a famous theater actor who had studied drama in London.

 _"I'll go to London, too!"_

By the time he'd finished the book, his heart was set on studying in England, the bithplace of theater. After all, even if he graduated with a theater degree, that didn't guarantee him a job. It would be much more useful to learn English while he took all the theater classes he liked.

He had now realized his dream.

The only real problem was money.

Not wanting to be a burden, he had cut himself off from his parent's support and fled Japan. But his money had evaporated during his first year at the language school in England. So it would be impossible to ask them to help pay his school fees now.

He was now managing to keep himself fed with a part-time job in a pub. But he was still in danger of dropping out because he couldn't afford to pay the tuition. And if he did ask his parents for help, they would probably just send him the money for a plane ticket home.

But his life here was just begining. He couldn't go back to Japan yet.

Naruto went straight to work after his classes were over. The pub's owner was a typically brusque Enslishman of few words. He glanced at Naruto's face and silently set a plate of food out for him.

The menu was standard working-class fare: fried fish and chips. Naruto had gotten a bit tired of it, but he was in no position to demand luxury. He ate in a corner of the pub, then went behind the bar. He would be working non-stop from now until midnight.

The pub was filled with the lively energy of laborers returning home from work.

Naruto's main duty was washing dishes behind the bar.

It was physically exhausting to work a part-time job after the demands of acting all day in classes, but he had so much fun listening to the rapid-fire conversations around him, the one thing that made his job enjoyable. And sometimes, the customers would treat him ro a beer.

When he had finished washing the first batch of dishes, he glanced up at the end of the bar. That was where Tsunade, a regular customer, usually sat.

In the course of his many conversations with her, he had been shocked to discover that Tsunade was only 10 years older than him. He had been sure she was nearly the same age as his mother. And even accounting for the idea that Westerners aged more quickly than the Japanese, and the fact that his mother looked remarkably young for her age, he still couldn't believe how young Tsunade was.

Apparently, she was not living a very comfortable life, dressed in second-hand out-of-fashion clothes. She would always order one beer and nurse it preciously before going home. She had told him that her parents died early and she had lived alone ever since. But that shouldn't have made her life so wretched. Never without a friendly smile for him, Tsunade always worried about Naruto's well-being since he had come all the way to England all alone. She had also been the one to negotiate with the pub owner to include meals in his pay. She was unusual among English people, who were usually stand-offish and reluctunt to infere in other people's businesse.

But Tsunade hadn't been by the pub in several days.

He remembered that she had been coughing constantly the last time he had seen her, and her started to worry.

"I guess she's really sick,"

"If you ever need anything, you can come see me." she had told him once. With no relatives in England, her words had strucks Naruto's heart, which was already strained by loneliness.

It must be difficult for her to manage by herself if she's sick and all alone.

Naruto decided to go see her.

 **to be continue tell next time... please review...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys here my next chapter hopefuly you like and thank you the support and review to my story...**

 **Desclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: SasuNaru**

Walkig down a squalid side street in a bad part of the ciyt in the bitter cold, Naruto finally spotted the apartment he was looking for. The building was very old. It looked like it had been built long before Naruto was born. The inside was dim, and smelled of mold and dust. He lacked the courge to take the elevator, which lokked like it might collapse at any moment, and the third floor. He couldn't find a doorbell anywhere, so he knocked on the door hesitantly.

There was no answer.

He knocked louder.

"Quit that racket!" a voice yelled from inside.

The door swung open violently and a woman wearing garish makeup appeared, causing Naruto to scream.

He was in a complete panic from the shock of screaming at a stranger. He struggled to think of something to say.

"I-I'm sorry," he managed to stutter. "Um, I-I'm a friend of Tsunade's."

The woman looked at Naruto angrily, pointedly inspecting him from top to bottom. "Are you a customer?"

Naruto nodded.

"We haven't got anything worth stealing," the woman said, speaking roughly in a thick, low-class accent that Naruto had trouble understanding. "The door's open, so you don't have to knock all politely like that. Just come in."

With that, she went back inside.

Unable to leave after having come this far, Naruto fearfully edged into the room.

Empty liquor bottles and discarded clothes were scattered everywhere, and the entire room was in disarray. The woman at the door was wrapped in a shawl and inhaling deeply from a cigarette.

The room was unheated and was literally freezing cold. The heater must have been broken. It was almost the same temperature indoors as out, and Naruto couldn't bear to take off his down jacket.

"Tsunade's room is over there." The woman jerked her chin in the direction of one of the doors.

Apparently, Tsunade shared her apartment with at least one other person, maybe more.

Naruto opened the door the woman had showed him.

There was no real difference in temperature here, either. The wasn't even a light on. By the light coming in from the main room, he could just barely make out the shape of Tsunade's body lying on her bed.

"Is that you, Naru?" Tsunade's voice came feebly back to him.

Naru was the nickname that had been born when Naruto explained that his name was the oold Japanese word for that month. "Naruto" was difficult for the people here to pronounce, and so he had begun using the name Naru at school as well.

Tsunade tried to sit up. "What are you doing here? Do you need help?"

Her cheeks were drawn and hollow, anyone could tell that she was wasting away quickly. Naruto looked away.

"I'm fine," he said. "But noticed you haven't been coming to the pub these past few days. How are you? Did you see a doctor?"

"It's fitting end to my like that I die here," she replied hoarsely.

"Tsunade?" Naruto gasped.

"I'm glad you came, Naru. There's something I want you to keep for me." Tsunade slid a hand under her pillow and pilled out a thin chain. "It's something I never want my roommates to see."

She gave the chain to Naruto. At first glance, it looked like a necklace, but looking closer, Naruto saw that instead of a pendant, the chain held a ring with a transparent blue stone.

"God appeared before me two years ago and gave me that," Tsunade whisped reverently.

"God?" Naruto echoed.

"Yes," Tsunade answered. "Up till then, my life had been nothing, but suffering. My mother abandoned me ringht I was born. Did you know that? And my father was drunkard. When I was little, he died when I was 17, and _was free. But_ 'd never really been to school, so I didn't know how to survive except by selling my body."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears, The story Tsunade was feverishly telling him was incomprehensible compared to his peaceful upbringing in Japan.

"But God didn't abandone me," Tsunade continued, "He gave me this ring as a reward for surviving. He told me it would sell for a lot of money. He was so beautiful, it was like waking from a nightmare to see his raven hair. I recognized him right away. He was a God. So I told him, "I can't sell your ring. I'll treasure it forever. so please come see me again." And now, there's something I want you to do, Naru.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"I want you to give his ring back for me. If he comes to the pub where you work, please_" Tsunade was cut off by a coughing fit.

"Tsunade!" Naruto cried out.

Her coughing showed no signs of stopping. and they were not ordinary coughs. They were throatraking coughs, like bronchitis. When his older brotheer had had a cough like this when they were children, it was due to asthma. Every time the asthma flared up, he was hospitalized and thier mother would leave Naruto behind to go with his brother. Naruto was still very young at the time, and he had been jealous of his brother monopolizing thier mother.

Tsunade's roommate came at the sound of the coughing.

"I'm calling an ambulance this time, Tsunade!" she yelled. "We don't want you infecting us with something serious."

Tsunade didn't answer and only coughed painfully.

"Hey kid, you can't stay here forever," the woman snapped. "It's getting late, so you hurry on home now. I'll see what I can do for her."

The woman spoke quickly so Naruto had no choice, but to leave.

"Remember...Naru..." Tsunade moaned painfully.

Seeing her like this upset Naruto. He nodded firmly, hoping to comfort her. A look of relief came across her face.

The woman peered suspiciously at Naruto.

Witj great reluctance, he left the apartment.

hat would be the last time he ever saw Tsunade.

 **to be continue so tell next time hopefully you like it...please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys i'm back with new chapter hopefully you like it...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: SasuNaru**

Neji entered a wealty housing district in London, summoned there by his friend. Even here, the most striking building was the five-story apartment his friend owned.

In this building, each floor had three independent apartments. Each apartment cost more than Neji would ever earn in his entire lifetime. His friend, on the other hand, was staying on the top floor. The man had combined the three apartments into one. What's more, he had bought the apartments on the floors below so that he wouldn't diaturbed by his neighbors. That was why Neji could see no lights illuminating the other four floors from the outside. His friend also owned a massive estate and manor house on the outskirts of London. He had never had to work for anything, his position made everything available to him.

Neji, who had nothing, was very jealous of the wealth his friend had inherited. But he had never wanted to trade places with him because Neji knew that even through his friend was young, and his position and wealth gave him everything he wanted, the man was not happy.

Neji had first met his friend Sasuke at the boarding school.

Enfland is still a strongly class-based society. Neji's working-class parents had not welcomed the news that he had been accepted to a boarding school. they believed that any education beyond the requirement was unfitting to thier position, and that working-class people should lead working-class lives. Neji had earned the money to pay for the school and tachers spoke to his parent on his behalf, and so he had been finally allowed to attend. But all the other children had come from positions of privilege. Whenever Neji spoke, his classmates would mock his lower-class accent. Even the teachers smirked when Neji said something.

Sasuke had been in a completely opposite position. Even in thier school, he had been special. He was the heir to a corporaton with offices around the world, and would one day inherits his father's title and incredible fortune. There had always been a crowd of people around him, and he'd always shone in thier center.

On one side, the favorite son of a born aristocrat, and on the other, a working-class kid whose name was as good as mud. When they first met, Neji would never have dreamed that Sasuke would treat hi kindly.

Sasuke had been the one to cultivate the friendship. Clear onyx eyes below shining raven hair, he had truly been like an angel.

Neji remembered being terrified at having to respond to his perfect Queen's English pronunciation. His lower-class accent had come out stronger that ever.

But Sasuke hadn't laughed at him like the other students. He had been the picture-prefect honor student. and he had loathed his surrounding, which loved him too easily.

Neji greeted the doorman at the entance and rode the elevator to the toop floor. This practically his second home. Opening the door with his spare key, Neji headed into the sitting room, expecting to see his friend.

Sasuke was sprawled indifferently on the sofa. His silk shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the bare skin of his chest. When he saw Neji out of the corner of his eye, he raised the wine glass in his right hand apathetically.

"You're pretty late, aren't you?" he greeted. "I was getting tired of waiting."

Neji could tell Sasuke was in a bad mood.

"So what else in new?"

since graduating, it had been more expceptional to see Sasuke in a good mood than otherwise.

"I didn't think you'd get to London this quickly," Neji explained.

"It's all because of that letter of yours," Sasuke growled.

Neji grinned toothly. "Sure snapped you out of your boredom out there in the counrty, didn't it?"

"Thanks, yes," sasuke said sarcastically. "It was all exactly as you'd said."

"Don't you think it's time you gave up and got married, Sasuke?" Neji asked, concern evident in his voice.

His friend shrugged his shoulders dismissively, his face sulky. "Don't be ridiculous. Who would I Marry? None of the girls in the right families interest me. I'm doing enough just living out the life that's been set out for me."

"That's a pretty constructive opinion for you," Neji remarked.

"Constuctive?" A confused expression clouded Sasuke's face for a moment, but then began to laugh softly. "Neji, I just had the most wondeful idea,"

"Let me say something first," Neji interrupted. "I really do think it's best if you get married like your father's will say's,"

If Sasuke continued this idle lifestyle, it would ultimately destroy his body and his spirit. If he were to marry, he could lead a healthier life. That was why he had to marry. But the thruth was, these words didn't express Neji;s true feelings.

"Never mind that," Sasuke said dismissively. "Just listen. I will get married. But it'll be a sham. I'll marry someone, get my inheritance once and for all, and the kiss my 'wife goodbye."

"Do you think that would work?" Neji asked dubiously. "Most woman are pretty greedy. Do you think you can find a woman who'll just give up being Lady Uchiha voluntarily?"

"I know of such a woman," Sasuke assured him. "About two years ago, I became acquanted with a very nice woman. Her horrible situation in life moved me to give her my family's heirloom ring."

"You don't mean the blue diamond?" Neji asked incredulously.

He had rarely been surprised by abything Sasuke had done in all the time that he'd known him, but now he was at a loss. There were only a handful of such treasures in the world. He couldn't comprehend siply giving the ring to a stranger.

"She said she wouldn't sell it." Sasuke drawled, "Through its price would have supported her for the rest of her life. She only said she wanted to see me again. Isn't that an unselfish woman? I'm sure she would be willing to help."

"Maybe she didn't know how much the ring was worth?" Neji guessed.

"Who cares?" Sasuke said. "I'm going to find her. If she still has the ring, she'll be my fake bride."

"and what if she did sell it after all?" Neji asked.

"I'll buy it back and find another woman," Sasuke answered.

Neji pushed on. "Do you think you can find another one that easy?"

"What would be much easier is if you were a woman, Neji," Sasuke joked.

Neji stared at his friend. "I think it'd be better if you were a woman. you'd be much easier to deal with."

Sasuke laughed boisterously. He throught his friend was kidding.

"Well, I'm not going to set him straight," Neji throught.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you, but I'd like you to come with me," Sasuke said after his laughter had subsided.

"I'm at your service, my lord," Neji mocked.

His friend frowned at him.

 **to be continue... and Happy new... Hopefully you like it please reveiw...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi I'm back with my new chapter of The promise of romance hopefully you like it...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: SasuNaru**

Naruto had no idea what to do with the ring Tsunade had entrusted to him.

There was a huge, thransparent blue stone set into it. The setting was silver of amazing fine workmanship. Naruto knew almost nothing about jewels, but even he could appreciate how expensive the ring must have been.

He felt that if he were to wear it while walking around outside, someone would steal his entire finger to get it. He couldn't leave it in his room, either, for fear of robbers. For the last three days, he had worn the chain in his belt loops and kept the ring in his pocket. He had rashly agreed to return the ring to its owner, but it was a daunting task.

"Maybe I should go give it back to Tsunade."

He was afriad of seeing the woman who lived with Tsunade again, but he couldn't keep the ring forever. so he decided to go over after work.

Naruto was washing dishes behind the bar as he always did when the door opened and a customer came in. He looked up, hoping that it might be Tsunade. Lately, he had gotten into the habit of checking every time a customer came in.

It wasn't Tsunade just two men. But Naruto couldn't stop staring at one of them.

The first thing he noticed was the duck-butt raven hair. Then he saw the smooth face, white and sculpted like marble. That, and his slender height, made the man look like movie star who had just stepped through the screen. He was wrapped in a tailored long coat of supple fabric whose expensive price range was obvious at first sights. He was unmistakably unlike the rest of the customers.

Naruto coming to London, Naruto had realized that there were hardly any of the stylish foreigners walking around the streets that he had seen in magazines and on TV. The Europeans in the media were different.

"Maybe he's a model. Or maybe..."

Naruto ran through all the British actors he knew in his mind, but none of them matched.

Something about the man resembled the famous soccer player.

The man took off his coat. Beneath it, he was wearing a silk shirt that faintly reflected the dim light. He approached the bar and ordered a straight scotch. Most customers ordered ale, a British style of beer. Scotch was unusual, and a straight scotch even more so. He emptied the shot glass in a single swallow, as if he was drinking water, and casually ordered another.

Naruto stared at him in amazement. His rough drinking style didn't fit with the fashionable way he was dressed. He knocked back the second glass like it was water, too.

Suddenly, the man's eyes met Naruto's.

Startled, Naruto froze in the middle of washing a dish.

The man's eyes were the same shade of blue as the stone in the ring Tsunade had given him. He gave Naruto a friendly smile. Maybe he realized that Naruto had been stsring at him.

Naruto felt his pulse quicken with emberrassment.

Ignoring his discomfort, the man waved Naruto over.

"Yes sir?" Naruto asked timidly.

"I believe a woman named Tsunade comes to this pub regularly," the man said. "Do you know her?"

Naruto marveled at the beatifully accented English the man spoke.

British people speak differently depending on thier social class. Japanese people can't usually tell the difference, but when English people speak to each other, they can tell in five minutes what a person's class is and where they were from. Naruto lived and worked in working-class areass, and his school was full of middle-class student who weren't particularly wealty. This man was unlike anyone else Naruto had encountered.

Naruto had never met a member of the upper class. In this country where the class system still thrived, everyone knew thier place and rarely invaded the territory of the other classes. But then, if the man was part of the upper class, he wouldn't have come to a place like this.

"Tsunade's been sick. She hasn't been by lately," Naruto answered honestly.

"I hope she come back," the man's long raven hair companion said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Me, too." The raven man nodded then turned back to Naruto. "Can you give Tsunade a message for me?"

"Of course," Naruto promptly replied.

"I'm trying to locate a ring and would like to get in touch with her," the man said.

He took a silver business card holder from thr inner pocket of his jacket and handed one to Naruto, along with a tip. Then, finishing the rest of the scotch in his glass, he stood up to go. Each move he made loooked as if it had come straight from a movie. The impression he gave was unlike that of other people.

 _"God gave it to me."_

Naruto recalled the story Tsunade had told him.

"He was so beautiful it was like walking from a nightmare to see his raven hair. I recognized him right away. He was God."

Was this man the 'god' from Tsunade's story?

He looked at the business card. The title "lord" appeared before the man's name indicating his noble status. Naruto had no idea how Tsunade knew a nobleman. but that wasn't going to stoop him from telling her that her'god' had come looking for her. Besides, the tip the man had given him was far too large for simply passing on a message.

 **to be continue... tell next update hopefully you like it...please review...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys I'm back with the new chapter... here the next chapter...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing:Sasunaru**

Once work was over, Naruto went back to Tsunade's apartment. This time, he knocked on the door gently so that the other woman wouldn't yell at him again. When he turned the knob, he discovered that the door wasn't locked and it simply swung open.

He felt odd enyering the house without saying anything, so he whispered "Excuse me" to himself in Japanese.

When he went into the living room, he saw a woman, different from the one he had met before, wearing almost nothing and with her feet up on a chair, giving herself a pedicure.

She raised her head and looked at Naruto suspiciuosly.

"What's a kid like you doing here?" she demanded.

"I came to see Tsunade," Naruto said, faltering.

"Tsunade? Oh, she died three days ago," the woman said idifferently.

"Died?" Naruto echoed dumbly.

"Yeah," the woman confirmed.

"But I saw her here last week," Naruto sputtered.

he could hear the flirtatious voices of a man and woman in Tsunade's room. Seized by an uncontrollable impulse, Naruto ran to the room and threw the door open.

"Who's that?" a voice growled.

"Some kid is spying on us!" another voice cried out.

Two strangers were tangled together on the bed, yelling at Naruto's intrusion. In a moment, his face and ears were burning. He took a step back, did an about face, then ran out of the building as fast as his legs would carry him.

How long did he run? He didn't even know where he was or how he'd gotten there. Panting, he finally came to a stop.

He finally understood the sort of place Tsunade's apartment was. Her roommates all earned thier living by selling thier bodies. He understood now why Tsunade hadn't wanted them to see the ring. They were the sort of people who would use her room to do thier business just days after she'd died. If they saw her ring, they would run out to sell it as fast as they could.

After running randomly through an unfamiliar area at night, Naruto was completely lost. He called a taxi.

London taxis are the best in the world just give them an address and they'll take you straight to where you're going.

Naruto showed the driver the business card the raven man had given him. He ended up in a high-end residential area near Regency Park. He paid the fare with the tip money, but there was still a lot letf over in change.

As he got out of the taxi, Naruto gasped at the luxious apartment building that rose up before him. The entrance waas glowing with lights and a unformed doorman stood next to it.

He briefly hesitated, but he couldn't give up now. He gathered up all his courage and showed the business card to the doorman.

"straight to the fifth floor," the doorman said after calling up to the room. He pointed to the elevator inside.

"Thank you," Naruto said, feigning nonchalance, and stepped into the lavish building.

He passed through an immaculate lobby enclosed by marbled walls. Inside, the building was more like a luxury hotel. Even through the room in outdoor shoes, thick, luxurious carpets were spead across every inch of the floor. A gaint chandelier hung from the high ceiling, giving off a radiant light. Here and there, vases as tall as people decorated the room, showing off stunning arrangement of fresh flowers.

Naruto got into the elevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

He was overwhelmed by the feeling that he didn't belong there. But he had acccepted the raven's tip, and so he had to deliver the message that Tsunade was dead. There was also the matter of the ring.

The chances were good that this man was the ring's proper owner.

The elevator doors opened. There was a single deeply carved door standing at the end of the hall. Naruto pressed the doorbell beside iy, and the door opened a few moments later. But it wasn't the raven man standing in the doorway, it was his long raven haired friend.

"You're the kid from the pub. What do you want?" the man asked, eyeing Naruto suspiciuosly.

Naruto hadn't noticed in the pub, but this man was in his own category of beauty. Below his long raven hair glinted. But the raven man's charisma was so overwhelming that, beside him, his friend's individual charms were smothered.

"I came to tell you that Tsunade's passed away," Naruto said. "I just found out myself. And she gave me something before she died."

He wasn't sure if the man knew what was going on but he took the ring from his pocket and held it up.

The man's eyes widened and he looked from Naruto to the ring and back again.

"Did you know that this is the heirloom of Lord Uchiha's family?" he asked.

"It's a lord's heirloom?" Naruto questioned back, repeating the unfamiliar words.

"Yes, it is," the man said. After some hesitation he add, "You'd better come in."

It would be difficult to call the man's tone inviting.

"Does he think I'm here to scam them?"

Naruto was annoyed, but he'd come this far, he couldn't give up now. He nodded and followed the man into the apartment.

The main room was spacious and had a high ceiling like the lobby. But in contrast to the lobby's brilliance, this room was dark and bleak. They passed through a number of deserted rooms before finally reaching one with a person in it.

A double bed had been placed in the room, and it seemed by all appearances to be a bedroom. The raven man Naruto had seen in the pub was sprawled. out on a sofa, a glass of light brown liquid drooping in his hand.

"Sasuke, you have a visitor," the long raven haired man said to the Sasuke.

"Well now, it's the cute girl from the pub." Without getting up, the raven man named Sasuke turned his gaze on Naruto and smiled. He moved langurously and an air of decadence clung to him.

"Actually, I'm not a girl. I'm boy," Naruto corrected him hastily.

Because of his name, he was often mistaken for a girl, even in Japan. That didn't seem to have changed since coming to England, but it was more humiliating to be mistaken for a girl because of his face rather than his name.

Sasuke stared at him. Apparently he didn't believe Naruto.

"Sorry," he said after a short pause.

Perhaps noticing Naruto's annoyance, Sasuke tossed in a smile with his apology.

Naruto felt as if Sasuke was making a fool of him and grew even more upset, but reminding himself that he hadn't come here to pick fights, he tried to calm down. He wasn't at all used to being proved.

"You see, what happened is..." And he told Sasuke what had happened to bring him there and showed the man the ring.

Sasuke's laugther interrupted him unexpectedly.

"You hear that, Neji?" he merrily said. "My plan's failed pretty quickly."

Naruto sensed something offensive in Sasuke's manner. The man seemed to be mocking Tsunade's death.

"I'm not surprised," the long raven haired man named Neji replied glumly.

"Well, if the ring belongs to you, I'll give it back," Naruto said "Otherwise, I'll take it to the police."

He wanted to get out of this place as soon as he could. His patience had limits. Neji hadn't seemed very welcoming with his gaurded manner, and Sasuke didn't seem to be the kind of person Naruto wanted to be around with. Besides which, so much had happened already that he was just worn out.

"Oh, it's difinitely mine," Sasuke assured him "I give it to Tsunade two years ago."

Naruto held the ring out to him. "Then I'll give it back to you."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's extended hand and slipped the ring onto a finger. Naruto was confused.

"This ring is the heirloom of my family." Ignoring Naruto's reaction, Sasuke told him the same story Neji had given him earlier. "When we give this ring away, it's only to our intended brides. By the way are you Chinese?"

"I'm Japanese," Naruto answered.

"Did you come to London to sightsee?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I'm studying here, at a theater school," Naruto explained.

"Theater?" Sasuke echoed, delighted. "Really? And your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto deliberately gave his full name in the Japanese order. Most British people weren't used to Japanese names and couldn't remember them very well after only hearing them once. He wasn't going to be nice and spell his name out for this arrogant man.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto your first name?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto relented a little. No one in London had ever pronounced his name so well.

"Uzumaki is my family name. Naruto is my first name."

"Naruto," Sasuke murmured. "What a wonderfully exotic name. And Asians are so Attrative don't you think so, Neji?"

He showed no sign of releasing Naruto's hand. All Neji did was shrug.

"Excuse me," Naruto uttered.

Hwe was starting to feel a little trapped. No one had ever held his hand for so long. When he tried to casually pull his hand awy, Sasuke tightened his grip. The man was smiling, seemingly enjoying himself.

Was he laughing at Naruto's discomfort? Naruto got even angrier at the throught. But it wouldn't be very adult-like to lose his temper right after meeting someone, so he pulled himself together.

"How would you like to be my fiance?"

Sasuke sudden asked.

The question baffled Naruto.

"Your fiance?" he asked.

He was beginning to lose confindence in his English skills. He had no idea what Sasuke was saying.

"As it happens," Sasuke explained, "I'm being forced to marry someone I have no interest in whatsover, and so to avoid that, I'm looking for a fake fiancee. You said you're enrolled in a theater school?"

Naruto nodded, "Yes,"

"So then you're good at acting," Sasuke reasoned out. "How about it? I think that's pretty good."

"Good idea," Neji chimed in. "This kid would look great dressed uplike a girl." He laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach.

"Wait a minute," Naruto prostested. "I'm a boy. And why do youneed to make up a fake fiancee? I;m sure you could find a lot of eligible woman."

Sasuke smiled ruefully.

"I don't think that would work."

"Most woman wouldn't stop at just pretending to be a fiancee for a rich, handsome aristocrat," Neji explained.

Sasuke sighted wearly. "We were planning to ask Tsunade. She was a prostitute, after all. She would have understood her positiion."

Naruto felt the blood rising to his face. How pathetic Tsunade seemed now, thinking of him as her God! Sasuke wasn't just being dismissive, he was insulting her.

' can't do it," Naruto said coldly. "Please find someone else." He yanked his hand free, pulled the ring off, and set it on a table. "I've returned your ring now, so I'm going home."

He couldn't hide the sharp tone in his voice.

"You seem to upset," Sasuke said coolly. "Let me take you home, as an apology."

"No, thank you!" Naruto replied immediately.

Ssasuke's rudeness might have been an example of the british conversational technique called "wit" but it had gone too fr.

Naruto wanted no further part in this conversation. He had alraedy formed a bad opion of Sasuke.

"He might look good, but he's got a rotten personality.

Sasuke smiled winningly. "don't be shy."

Naruto really wanted to say no. But, in the end, he wound up being taken home in Sasuke's car. The main reason was that he didn't know how to get home.

 **to be continue this is the longest chapter I write so hopefully you like it... tell next update...please review...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys I'm back with the continuing of chapter 6 and this story is base the novel of Akitsu Kyoko hopefully you like it...**

 **Desclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

 **Pairing: Sasunaru**

And it would have been impossible to find a taxi in the middle of the night in a residential neighborhood.

The only bringht spot was that Sasuke had been drunk, and so Neji drove Naruto home. This man with the long raven hair was a bit of a mystery himself, but compared to Sasuke, he seemed perfectly normal.

"Do you feel a little calmer?" Neji asked as he drove. "He doesn't mean any harm. Just remember he was drunk anf forget all about it."

"Tsunade wanted to see him very badly. But the thing he said..." Naruto broke off. He couldn't help complaining.

"What was your name again?" Neji asked.

"Naruto. It means "Fishcake" in Japananese, so everyone calls me that instead."

"Naruto, then I'm Neji Hyuuga. I work for a third-rate tabloid paper."

"You're a journalist?" Naruto asked.

Neji nodded, then fell silent.

The car sped through the night.

Outside the window, Naruto saw that all of the stores were closed and no one walked the streets of the city as it slumbered. Neji seemed to be focused entirely on driving and showed no inclination to chat, and so Naruto fell silent, too. They arrived at Naruto's building without ever resuming the conversation.

When he climbed out of the car, Naruto dug out what remained of the tip from his pocket.

"Would you please give this money back for me?" he requested.

"Why?" Neji wanted to know.

"There's no reason for me to keep it," Naruto pointed out.

"You're pretty honest, aren't you?" Neji remarked. "I don't think he cares about the money, through."

"I care about it." Naruto insisted. "I only used some of it to pay for the yaxi to his place."

"All right." Neji accepted the money. "I just have one piece of advice for you, since you're so sincere. Don't get mixed up with him."

"Well, I don't think I'll be seeing him again," Naruto threw back.

"Let's hope so," Neji said ambiguously and then left.

When he reached the boarding house, Naruto went straight to his room and fell into his bed.

So much had happened today.

He had worked all day at school then gone straight to his job at the pub. That alone would have worn him out. But in the deepest part of the night, he had witnessed first the very lowest and then the very highest levels of London society.

And Tsunade was dead.

Thier parting had been so sudden that he couldn't process it at all.

He couldn't even visit her grave because he didn't know where it was. And he never wanted to go back to her apartment again.

When he shut his eyes, an image of Sasuke's handsome face floated up in his mind.

If all he had known was Sasuke's appearance, the man would have been perfect. And he was a real aristocrat. Meeting him would be good for a story when Naruto went back to Japan.

"Through I'll probably never see him again," Naruto told himself.

( timeskip )

"Naru! Naru! Wake up!"

Naruto didn't realize he was being spoken to at first. When he jerked himself awake, all of his classmates were looking at him and laughing.

They were in the middle of Authentic Movements Class, which involved everyone closing thier eyes and moving freely to the music the techer played.

The second Naruto closed his eys, he'd fallen asleep.

His classes had been getting harder and harder lately since the school was preparing for the end-of-semester performance. In addition to thier usual classes, stidents had to attend rehearsals for the play. He was begining to approached his physical limits working at the pub while attending classes. But if he quite the job, he would be forced to quit school, too.

"The best thing would be take a break from school and get a better job so I could earn more money then come back."

He realized that he was seriously considering Sasuke's offer. 300 pounds was about 60,000 yen more than 600 dollars a day. He could earn more than his month's pay at the pub just by dressing up as a woman.

And it wouldn't be the first time that he had dressed as woman. either. For his first two years in high school, the older student had forced him to play the woman's roles every time they did a play. He hadn't wanted to do it, but everyone had said that he was prettier than a real girl. In his thrid year, he had assumed the presidency of the drama club. He had been relieved to escape the woman's costumers by becoming the best.

But, considering his present circumstances, he could hardly be blamed. And he had to admit that this offer would probably make the best story of all when he got back to Japan.

The final spur in changing Naruto's mind came unexpectedly Sasuke came to the pub.

Even in the crowded bar, Ssasuke stood out immediately, He was dressed casually in a moss green designer shirt and beige slacks, but even so, he looked like a model from a magazine.

Holding a straight scotch in one hand, he came up to Naruto, smiling.

"When do you get off work?" he asked.

"10:00 p.m," Naruto answered, a bit bewildered.

"Let's go on a date after," the blond sugested.

"A date?" Naruto echoed, even more bewildered.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

Naruto tried desperately to recall the meaning of the word. A date was unsually when two lovers decided on a day and time to meet. Was there some other meaning?

For example, in Japan, when someone says "Let's have tea," it means just that. But in England, the meaning of words changes depending on the social class of the speaker. People in middle-class and above understand "Let's have tea," to mean the obvious, Let's drink tea," like in Japan. But for working-class it means going out to dinner. When Naruto had been invited to tea by an English friend, he hadn't been sure if they meant actual tea or dinner.

So maybe there was another meaning to the word "date" that Naruto didn't know. Or was Sasuke making a joke? Unable to reach a decision, he letf the bar with Sasuke.

"Actually, I haven't eaten dinner yet," Sasuke remarked. "Have you?"

"I only ate a little bit before work," Naruto replied. He wasn't lying. It had been six hours since he'd eaten.

"Do you want to go back to my place for dinner?" Sasuke offered.

Naruto nodded. He could never get to sleep on an empty stomach. He wasn't going to turn down an opportunity for food. And he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in eating dinner at a nobleman;s house.

They hailed a cab at Piccadilly Circus and headed for Sasuke's apartment.

The spacious room was, as always, devoid of the signs of life. It was like a ruin.

"Where's Mr. Hyuuga?" Naruto asked.

"He's got a lot work," Sasukr explained. "Appearently, he can't spend all his time with me."

"Lord Uchiha_" Naruto stopped as he tried to say Sasuke's name. The name on the card Sasuke had given him was far too long and Naruto wasn't sure what to call him.

"There's no need for formalities, call me Sasuke," the raven said, noticing Naruto's distress.

"Do you live here all alone...Sasuke?" Naruto inquired.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied.

"I through aristocrats had more servants," Naruto commented.

"There are enough back at my estate to make you sick," Sasuke said.

"You have another house besides this?" NAruto asked.

Sasike laughed. "In Dorsett, which is a wasteland."

Naruto stared.

Sasuke's onyx eys, like glittering glass, were fixed in his deeply carve face. He moved strangely. He didn;t seem human.

Naruto understood a little better why Tsunade had called the man a god.

"I'llbe rightback," sasuke suddenly. He disappeared, leaving Naruto in the sitting room.

Naruto looked around. The room was poorly lit for its size, and so whole place was dim. Framed painting decorated the walls, Naruto's knowledge of art was limited, but he recognized a Chagall piece among them. It was probably real. And all of the furniture looked like antiques of some value. He almost felt as if he had wandered into an art museum by mistake.

Sasuke reappeared after a while.

"Dinner's ready," he announced. "Come into the dinning room."

The large table was cocered with white table cloth and a candle burned in a silver candlestick, which was set in the center of the table. The ambiance was exceptional.

But the selection spread out on the table was limited only spagheti with meat sauce and wine. Naruto wasn't sure if he should comment on the unexpected simplicity of the meal or not, He chose to ignore it.

"Itadakimasu," he said in Japanese and picked up his fork.

:What was that?" Sasuke asked, making a strange face.

" It's somethhing Japanese people say before they eat," Naruto explained.

"Itadakimasu, then," Sasuke cheerfully parroted Naruto's Pronouciation.

Naruto couldn't say why, but hearing a raven foreigner speaking Japanese was a bizzare feeling.

The spahetti wasn't good enough to compliment. The noodles were too soft and the sauce tasted like it had come out of a can. But the wine was extraordinary.

Glancing at the label, Naruto saw that it was quite old. He regretted having drunk it so quickly. He would probably never taste anything so sophisticated again in his whole life.

"I'm glad you decided to come," Sasuke said when the meal was over. "There's nothing quite as dull as eating alone." After he'd reached adulthood, he had never eaten with any his school friends except Neji.

"Everyone's busy with thier work except me. I don't have a job. But they don't have time to come see me," he confessed almost shyly.

It wasn't a lack of jobs that kept him from working, through. Rather, there was no need for him to work thanks to the inheritance his parents.

Probably due to the effects of the wine, Naruto was in high spirits and talked with Sasuke about his school days, about Japan, and about a thousand other things. He throught that his English must have been very stited, and he had difficulty understanding Sasuke's stories, but the raven seemed very interest and listened attentively.

The man was acting completely different from the first time they'd met. He was being a true gentlemen.

"Can I invite you back sometime?" he asked

Naruto nodded.

Sasuke smiled, looking truly glad. He had obviously been really bored before.

Naruto wanted to leave in time to catch the last subway train. His host insisted on seeing him off at the nearest, and they ended up walking there together.

It was the coldest part of February. They sobered up immediately, and fell into a natural silence.

Naruto didn't feel that he could broach the subject of the job.

Sasuke bought Naruto's subway ticket when they reached the station.

The subject of the job hadn't come up once during thier dinner. Naruto worried that maybe Sasuke had already found somebody else.

"By the way, that thing you mentioned last time... I'm willing to try it," he said impulsively as they were about to part.

But maybe the whole thing had been a joke. As a flood of worries rushed through Naruto's mind, Sasuke embraced him.

"That's wonderfull," the raven man whispered.

"Uh." Naruto wasn't used to being hugged in public. It was some small comfaort that there was no one in the station this late at night. Otherwise, he probably would have shoved Sasuke away from sheer embarrassment.

"I'm so glad that you're accepting my offer," Sasuke said. He took off the blue diamond ring from his ring finger. "Take this," he continued, slipping the ring on Naruto's finger solemnly. Then he stooped over and gently placed a kiss on the back pf Naruto's hand.

It was like a scene in a play.

Naruto felt his face blushing bright red.

He really would never get used to British humor.

Naruto's phone rang almost the moment he get home. It was Sasuke.

"Did you make it home all right," the man inquired.

"Yeah," he replied.

"I'm glad to hear it," Sasuke said.

After all his time living alone in aforeign country, hearing those words warmed Naruto's heart.

"Would you like to have dinner again tommow?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto accepted the invitation graciously. Tommow was friday and, without school the day after, it would be a good opportunity to test his neww job.

"I'll leave early from work," he promised.

Besides, Naruto was impatient to hear the details of the job offer, so why would he refuse?

 **to be continue so tell next time...please review... I love you all...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys here the next chapter hopefully you like it...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own naruto**

 **Pairing: Sasunaru**

Naruto decided to skip work the next day, and went straight to Sasuke's apartment after school. the doorman remember him and let him in directly. He passed through the hotel-like lobby and went up to the fifth floor.

Sasuke appeared, smiling brightly. "There you are!" he exclaimed.

He led Naruto to the sitting room and offered his visitor a drink. Naruto asked for a beer, afraid that if he asked for wine he would be served something outrageously expensive again. Sasuke had been drinking brandy before Naruto arrived.

"Neji called a little while ago an said he'll be here shortly," the raven said. "Once he gets here, we'll all go to a Chinese restaurant,"

Naruto remember Neji's admonition to not get involved with Sasuke and felt a little uncomfortable.

"Should I really go along when a friend of yours is coming to see you?" he wanted to know.

"Of course," Sasuke replied. "He's an old friend. There's no need to worry about formalities with him."

Naruto had no choice but to acquiesce.

"Oh, do you have the ring?" Sasuke asked taking Naruto's hand.

"I keep it in my pocket," Naruto hastily pulled out the chain with the ring on it. "I'd like to give it back to you, actually. I'm afraid I might to lose it."

"Is it too big for you?" Sasuke inquired. "I'll get it adjusted."

He seemed not to have heard Naruto at all.

"Do I have to wear it?" Naruto asked.

"Of course. Whenever you're in public." Sasuke laughed. "It's the symbol of a fiancee of the Uchiha family."

Naruto felt dizzy. But he wasn't about to give up now. Sasuke didn't seem to be as horrible as he'd throught, but the man was definitely strange.

Neji arrived after this exchange.

For a moment, he looked surprised to see Naruto, but he quickly recovered his ironic smile. "So you got involved with him after all," he said. "You must really like him, Naru."

"Naruto's going to be playing Eliza from 'My Fair Lady,' and I'll be Professor Higgins," Sasuke declared. "I suppose that makes you Colonel Pickering."

He seemed to be truely enjoying himself.

Audrey Hepburn, the pixie of the siver screen, starred in the movie "My Fair Lady" and it became one of her most famous films. She played a flower seller in Covent Garden who became a refined lady under the guidance of Professor Higgins, a linguist.

"Well, if we're re-enacting the movie, how about a little wager, Professor?" Neji said, getting carried away, too. "Eliza had six months to become a lady, but how long do you have, Naru?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Six months is walk in the park. We three months to break up the old man's scheme before the engagement party."

"You're telling me that Naru will be standing by your side at the engagement party at Hyde Park hotel in Knightsbride in three months?" Neji asked incredulously.

"What exactly do I have to do?" Naruto butted in.

"All you have to do is be my fiancee," Sasuke said. "That's not hard. Oh yes. As we discussed before, you'll be paid 300 pounds a day. I'll start today.'ll also pay a clothing allowance to get yourself set up, so don't worry about that."

"Wait just a minute!" Naruto cried out. "Do you know how many days there are between now and May? And I won't be able to pay you back if it doesn't work out."

"Naruto is right," Neji said. "Making up a contract would be better for both of you."

His words reassured Naruto. There were some things that Sasuke couldn't really understand, but Neji was a journalist and had common sense.

"All right," Sasuke conceded. "We can arrange it tomorrow. Even through I'd happy to take Naruto to Dorsett today if it meant I could stop the old man."

"Don't be so hasty." Neji said. I think Naru is in shock."

"I'm going to be relying on your help, Neji," Sasuke said seriously. Then the mishieveous glint returned to his eys. "Or should I say, Colonel Pickering?"

His friend shrugged. "anway, the thing to do now is have dinner. We can work out the plan later."

No one contradicted this.

Even in England, where the food is reputed to be so bad, relatively good Chinese food can be gotten at expensive restaurant places Naruto could only dream about in his penniless state. the three ate a good deal before leaving the restaurant.

The next morning, Naruto was woken up by a call from Sasuke. The contract haad been drawn up, and the man wanted Naruto to come as soon as he could. The raven sounded unsually excited.

The clock said it was only 8:00 am. Naruto would have liked to sleep in since there was no school, but once he was up, he could neveer go back to sleep. He gave up and got out of bed to get dressed. then he took the subway to Sasuke's apartment. The man appeared when he pressed the bell outside the door on the fifth floor.

"Come in, Naruto. " Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

It was a common gesture in England, not just between lovers. But Naruto was not at all used to it. But, as if demanding a kiss in return, Sasuke presented his own cheek to Naruto, and he was forced to comply.

Entering the sitting room, he saw Neji lying on the sofa. The man was wearing the same clothes as last night he must have stayed the night.

"Neji, Naruto's here," Sasuke said, rousing him.

"Here so soon?" Neji strected as he sat up. "I'd like cup of coffee. Wheer's the maid?"

"It's her day off," Sasuke explained. "I supposing I'll have to make it myself." He disppeared into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Naruto greeted Neji, supposing there was no need to kiss and embrace him.

"He must have forced you to come here this early," the man remarked.

Naruto nodded.

"The upper-class is used to issuing orders." the man added. "They don't think about the trouble involved for everyone else."

"It certainly seems that way," Naruto argeed.

"If you want out, now's the time to say so," A meaningful smile crossed Neji's face.

"You tried to stop me before, too," Naruto said. "Why?"

The man shrugged. "Because you're going to become a plaything for the rich."

" But I need money," Naruti said. "This is all very well-timed for me."

Then there's nothing I can do," Neji remarked.

"Nothing you can do about what?" Sasuke asked as he reppeared.

"I was asking Naru if he was ready for this." Neji stood up and brought over a bundle of papers from a table. "Thie is your contract."

"It's pretty thick," Naruto commented.

He had been the one to sk for clarification, but now that the job was becoming real, he was getting a little intimidated.

"It's just for reassureance. We didn't get an actual lawyer to make it," Neji said, spreading open the document.

Naruto picked up part of it and looked it over, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Neji saw Naruto's distress and explained, " The first part is the preface. It's chock-full of legal terms, but don't be too scared. The rest of it describes the job duties and pay. The most important part is the job duties. First of all the duties is that you'll act as Sasuke's fiancee. Next is that you'll appear at the engagement party in May to be recognized by everyone. And the final objective is to have a marriage within the year."

"A marriage?!" Naruto shouted in surprise.

"Are you a practicing Christian, Naruto?" Sasuke asked with concern.

"No, I'm Buddhist," Naruto replied.

Actually, he was an atheist, but foreigners didn't really understand that so, he had prepared this response.

"Then that's not a provlem," Sasuke said with relief.

Neji grinned. "Yeah. That was the biggest obstacle, but you being Buddhist knocks it out of our way."

"What do you mean there's no problem?" Naruto still seemed to have quite a few problems. The engagement party wasn't so bad, but now they wanted a marriage.

"You're not going to tell us that you can't lie in church, even through you're not a Chistian?" Neji asked.

Naruto could only shake his head.

Neji continued. "You're going to go on a honeymoon after the wedding. You've got your school schedule to consider, too. We'll try to plan around your vacations as much as possible."

It seemed they'd respected Naruto's desire to keep attending school. But he still wasn't completely ressured.

"In the middle of the honeymoon," Neji went on "you'll have a fight and get a divorce. And that will be the end of your role. you two will sever all ties. Even if you see each other in the street, you'll act like strangers. This is so that Sasuke's marriage isn't discovered to be a sham after the plan's been executed."

"In short, I leave him at the airport instead the alter."

Naruto agreed. He liked that there would be no future obligations. No matter what happened, he would be able to finish school in three years and go back to Japan. He didn't see any problems.

"Now, while the plan is in effect, Lord Uchiha has one request of you," Neji added.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"He wants you to stay in the apartment with him," was the reply.

"What?" he cried out.

"It would be a lot of trouble to call you all the way here every time he needed you for something." Neji pointed out.

"But..." Naruto couldn't think of how to repond. He couldn't picture himself living with Sasuke. They had been born and had lived in entirely different places. And the raven was a nobleman. Thier worlds were just too different.

"If you can't answer right away, we can set that aside for the moment and discuss your pay." Neji turned a page over. "Three hundred pounds per day, paid every day from the signing of the contract. All your expenses will be paid by Lord Uchiha until the end of the contract. And a 10,000 pound bonus upon successful completion of the plan."

There were three months until the engagement party. That worked out to quite a large amout by the end. Naruto begun to fear the huge amout of money he would have when it was all over. He almost felt like he was assisting in acrime. He probably wouldn't just get away scott-free if they were caught.

"And if something goes wrong?" he asked.

Neji had the answer to that too. "In cases of illness or other unavoidable circumstances earned so far will be paid to you. But if you deliberately sabotage the plan, you will pay back a percentage of the money to Lord Uchiha."

"Deliberately sabotage it?" Naruto echoed confused.

Neji nodded. "Yes, for example, selling information about the plan to the media is a violation of the contract. If you do it right, you could make more than Lord Uchiha is paying you."

"Aren't you part of the media, Neji?" Naruto asked.

Neji nodded again. "Yes, but if I leak word of this, I take on the responsibility of paying you. Even if my luck ever turned around, I wouldn't have that kind of money, so don't worry about me. I just ask that you give me the best seat at the engagement party and wedding. That's everything in the contract, through. Any questions?"

"What if the plan fails because I don't act well enouhh to convince people?" Naruto wanted to know.

"I'd rather not think about it," Neji answered. "But in that case, the contract is finished. But you won't receive any compensation, either. So do your best work so that that doesn't happen. Of course, we'll do all we can to help. Anything else?"

Naruto shook his head.

Neji faced his friend. "And how about you, Sasuke?"

"Aside from the question of where Naruto will live, nothing," the raven replied.

"Surely you don't intend to force Naruto to stay here against his will?" Neji crossed out the sentence concerning living arrangements in the documents.

"Let's jist remove this clause. We can tjink about it again if we discover any problems once we've started."

Saske seemed displeased, but eventually agreed.

"Then sign," Neji said.

Naruto nodded. He wouldn't back out now, having come so far.

"The contract's been finalized and agreed upon bu all parties." Neji said once all three had signed. "I'm glad that went well. It have been a lot worse with a woman. We probably would have had to write clauses protecting her vitue."

"Neji, please." Sauke made a face of distaste.

"sorry," Neji said. "I got carried away with my little jokes. But the signing of contract calls for a little celebration, don't you think?"

"You're after that wine I got last week, aren't you?" Saske laughed, his good mood recovered.

"I sure am," Neji agreed. "I hear it's a pretty good vintage."

"Well, help yourself to it," his friend offered. "I'm going to take Naruto shopping."

Naruto eyed Sasuke suspiciously. "Shopping for what?"

"Clothes and bags and shoes, outffiting you from head to toe," Sasuke asked.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Well, if you have your own dresses, I suppose I don't need to," Saske said, his voice wry.

"But, right now?" Naruto protested.

"Yes," Sasuke answered firmly.

"That's part of earning your 300 pounds a day. Get to it." Neji waved to Naruto.

"Neji!"

But the cry seemingly fell on deaf ears as Neji disappeared into the kitchen.

 **to be continue... tell next time so tell me what you think... so please review... I love the song of Kiss me goodbye from the silver chaos games...**


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